"Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down (Daniel 4:37 NKJV)."

It's easy to consider King Nebuchadnezzar foolish, as he was warned by Daniel of the humility he would face should he not change his ways. The king did not listen, and ultimately had to pay the price for some time. It is easy to shake your head while reading this chapter, questioning why the king didn't just heed the words from Daniel, whose God had already proven Himself before. Yet after I think these thoughts, I will likely go out and do something foolish that I already know is a bad idea. Fortunately, Nebuchadnezzar got the chance to fix things, and God promises to work through us to fix things too, if we allow Him. Thank You Lord for the humbling lesson through the actions of King Nebuchadnezzar, and thank You for allowing this story to be relatable. Please help me to be better about following Your guidance right away, and please help me to also be better about turning to You in the times that I fall short. Thank You for paying for my sins through the death and resurrection of Your Son, and thank You for always being patient with me. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

"An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him (Proverbs 5:22 NLT)."

If I'm being honest, I know sin is wrong, but yet I partake in it all the time. Sins tend to feel good at first and offer instant appeal, and it is easy to claim that they can be stopped at any time. But the further sin is allowed to put its grip on you, the harder it is to escape its evil influence. Fortunately, God knows that we are going to struggle with it, and not only did He send His Son to pay for our sins with His death and resurrection, but He also is willing to help us break free from the hold of sin and make better choices if we learn from Him and accept His help. Lord, please forgive me for constantly falling into sin traps. Thank You for Your Son Jesus' work to save us, and thank You for continuously offering Your assistance in helping me to do better. Please help me to put a greater focus on Your Word in this new year, and please help me to turn to You instead of sin, especially when temptations inevitably hit. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name (Psalms 100:4 NLT)."

On this Thanksgiving day, I would like to thank God for everything He has blessed me with, including but not limited to my family (especially my wife and kids), the career I have been called to at this time (teaching) and the career I've been called to work towards (voice acting), the acting opportunities I have been blessed with so far, the people that have helped me in both careers, the friends that have my family and my backs, the hobbies that entertain, help with stress, and inspire, and the opportunities to write, including this platform. Thank You God for all of these things, and for Your rescue plan from sin's punishment with the death and resurrection of Your Son Jesus. Thank you God for anyone that is reading this - please bless them and theirs on this Thanksgiving day and every day after. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud (Daniel 4:37 NLT)."

King Nebuchadnezzar is a tough sell for me, especially after reading his unfair requests and cruel punishments from the first few chapters of Daniel. Yet, just like him, I too have fallen into the trap of pride and giving myself credit over God, who makes anything and everything possible to begin with. The teacher I worked with yesterday in my church's kid service taught the class that "the one you can thank for everything is God," and it is amazing how easy it is to forget this. We may or may not have to learn the hard way like Nebuchadnezzar did, but the king ultimately gave God the glory, and God thankfully gives us the chance to do the same, even when we stray. Thank You Lord for teaching me through a wide variety of personalities, including King Nebuchadnezzar. Thank You for EVERYTHING, and thank You for Your continued patience with me. I will keep working on remembering that You are the one that continues to bless my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

"But if you tell me what I dreamed and what the dream means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors. Just tell me the dream and what it means (Daniel 2:6 NLT)!"

"And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart (Daniel 2:30 NLT)."

King Nebuchadnezzar wanted his dream analyzed and interpreted, without even telling anyone what the dream was. He ordered death to the wise men of Babylon for not being able to fulfill a request that is simply unfair. Daniel and his friends prayed to God for help, and God gave Daniel the information that was needed to facilitate the king's demands. I loved how Daniel could have put himself on a pedestal over having information that no one else could figure out, but instead gave the credit to God once the ball was in his court. Thank You Lord for helping me when I have been faced with seemingly impossible demands. Please help me to always be humble and send the credit Your way anytime success comes to me. Please let my life glorify You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

"I am not even worthy to come and meet you. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed (Luke 7:7 NLT)."

I remember saying a variation of these verses throughout my Catholic upbringing at Sunday services, and reading these verses today inspires me even more. The Roman officer shows beautiful humility and awe towards the Lord as he admitted his weakness before Him, acknowledged His power, and ultimately left His request up to the Lord without being entitled or demanding about it. As we see off this year, one of my goals for 2022 is to make prayer a priority, and following the approach of the Roman officer sounds like a solid way to do so. Thank You Lord for a great guideline for prayer in today's Scripture. Please help me to start the new year making prayer a priority, and please help me to end 2022 with a stronger bond with You as a result of a better prayer life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

"For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him (Acts of the Apostles 28:30‭-‬31 NLT)."

After all the obstacles Paul faces throughout the Book of Acts, he finally is able to work on his calling without opposition. I wrote about life being very challenging in my last journal, and at times opposition to what I truly want to do in my life feels overwhelming (becoming a voice actor that entertains and inspires). But trusting the path God is putting us on and doing our best to navigate it, obstacles and all, is what Paul did, putting us in good company. Lord, I don't enjoy struggling, but I trust that overcoming life's challenges will help me grow into the person You want me to be, and will help me in the future as a voice actor should I make it. Regardless of where You place me, please help me to do work that inspires, entertains, helps, and points others to You. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

"Jesus said, 'This is how you should pray: 'Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation (Luke 11:2‭-‬4 NLT).'"

As I celebrate Advent and anticipate celebrating Jesus' birthday on Christmas, now is a fine time to reflect on the perfect prayer that He gave us with the "Our Father." In this prayer we praise God, pray for our needs, ask for forgiveness, ask for help in forgiving others, and ask for help when faced with things that we should stay away from. In the coming year I want to build a solid prayer routine, and doing a couple "Our Father" prayers a day sounds like a great way to get started. Thank You Lord for teaching us how to pray the "Our Father." I am going to work on praying more often, including more use of this prayer that You have gifted us with. I have recited the "Our Father" since I was a child, but when I say it in the future, I want to do so slowly, really taking in all of the wonderful things this prayer stands for. Please help me to appreciate this prayer (and You) more. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.